Subsea Latching Mechanism Preventing Unintentional Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing subsea equipment latching mechanisms struggle to ensure secure and easy latching and unlatching of subsea equipment to subsea receptacles, particularly in preventing unintentional unlatching.
Innovation Solution
A subsea latching mechanism featuring a component body with a latching arrangement that includes a rotatable portion, a component latching portion, a component locking portion, and a spring, which provides axial and rotational retention, and allows for easy manipulation and visual verification of the latch state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a subsea equipment is latched to a subsea receptacle, then secure mounting is achieved, but unintentional unlatching may occur due to movement or external forces
Solution Approach 1:
The latching arrangement incorporates a rotatable portion that can be manually rotated to switch between latched and unlatched states. The spring mechanism dynamically adjusts the locking engagement, providing secure mounting during operation while allowing intentional unlatching when needed. This dynamic design resolves the contradiction by making the system reliably locked during normal use but easily unlockable through deliberate manual action.
2Reliability
If a spring mechanism is used to provide rotational resistance, then anti-rotation properties are improved, but the complexity of the latching arrangement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism automatically engages and disengages the locking and unlocking positions without requiring additional actuators or complex control systems. The spring's elastic energy provides the necessary rotational resistance and anti-rotation capability inherently, eliminating the need for separate locking mechanisms. This self-service approach improves reliability while minimizing added complexity.
3Reliability
If the component latching portion is made with larger cross-sectional area or length, then axial retention is improved, but the force required to deflect the spring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The design allows adjustment of the component latching portion's cross-sectional area and length to optimize axial retention. By carefully selecting these parameters, the system achieves sufficient axial retention while keeping the spring deflection force within acceptable limits. The spring constant and pre-load can also be adjusted to balance axial retention requirements with the operational force needed for latching and unlatching.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The mechanism ensures secure latching and easy unlatching of subsea equipment, preventing unintentional release and allowing for efficient replacement or inspection of equipment, while withstanding forces from ROV manipulation and installation.
Implementation Method 1
a spring biasing the component locking portion in a radial direction being orthogonal to the circumferential direction
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a subsea equipment (100) and a subsea receptacle (200), a subsea system (1) comprising the subsea equipment (100) and the subsea receptacle (200) as well as a method of mounting the subsea equipment (100) to the subsea receptacle (200).The subsea equipment (100) comprising:a component body (101) configured to be received inside the subsea receptacle (200), the component body (101) extending, along a component axis (CA), in an axial direction (AD), between a connecting end (CCE) and a locking end (CLE), and a circumferential direction (CDC) about the component axis (CA);a latching arrangement (150) connected to the locking end (CLE) of the component body (101) and being configured to rotate in the circumferential direction (CDC) being orthogonal to the axial direction (AD), the latching arrangement (150) comprising:a rotatable portion (151) rotatably connected to the component body (101);a component latching portion (160) extending from the rotatable portion (151), in the axial direction (AD), towards the connecting end (CCE) and comprising a component latching surface (161) extending in the circumferential direction (CDC) and facing towards said locking end (CLE);a component locking portion (170) configured to interact with a detent (220) of the subsea receptacle (200) to counteract relative rotation between the latching arrangement (150) and the subsea receptacle (200) in the circumferential direction (CDC); anda spring (180) biasing the component locking portion (170) in a radial direction being orthogonal to the circumferential direction (CDC).